David White, a Bureau of Reclamation official based in Sacramento, told attendees that grants.gov remains the central federal portal for competitive federal opportunities and urged applicants to "read all the instructions and follow them" and to submit applications online when possible. He summarized search tactics on Grants.gov (open/forecasted/archived opportunities; agency and keyword searches) and recommended signing up for notifications for relevant opportunities. He emphasized practical deadlines and time zones: "If it says midnight eastern time, that's 9PM Pacific."

White also described Reclamation-specific funding (often packaged under the WaterSMART umbrella) and the common conditions applicants should expect. "Almost every one of these is going to require you to do NEPA before you do any ground disturbing activities," he said, warning that environmental review can lengthen schedules. He added that Reclamation generally expects a nonfederal cost share of approximately 50% and that applicants without water or power delivery authority often need a sponsoring entity that does.

Why this matters: Federal grants can supply substantial funding for water-conservation and related infrastructure projects, but applications are assessed only on the materials submitted to the agency. White advised applicants to be explicit on selection criteria and to justify budgets: "The clearer you are, the more direct you are, the greater the chance of you scoring higher and being funded." He also offered debriefs for unsuccessful applicants to improve future proposals.

Practical details: Grants.gov contains application packages and forms (including SF standard forms); deadlines are strict and often set to Eastern Time; point-of-contact information appears in notices; and grant officers can answer questions that dont create an unfair competitive advantage. Reclamation funding typically requires NEPA and roughly 50% nonfederal cost share, and applicants should budget and schedule accordingly.

What comes next: White said he and Reclamation staff would be available in breakout rooms for follow-up questions.